Out to Launch

Legal Sea Foods managed to create three TV ads that reference the issue of seafood sustainability while mocking it at the same time. In one ad, a lone crab is shown on a beach as a voiceover says: "Save the crab. Save it to show that every creature is sacred, no matter how small. Or just save it so we can chop it up into tasty little crab cakes." Ouch. See it here. Salmon might look great swimming upstream, but how good would they taste covered in lemon chive butter sauce? Watch it here. Trout can't catch a break, either. They look peaceful swimming and tasty atop a grill. See it here. DeVito/Verdi created the campaign.

eBay launched a trio of funny ads to promote its mobile app. "When it's on your mind, it's on eBay," shows consumers buying items on the fly, and saving one woman from wearing mom jeans. A daughter, on the hunt for the perfect pair of jeans, shares her dilemma with mom. Next thing you know, mom tells daughter to save her money since she has a bin of jeans lying around. Mom jeans. Nice and loose. The daughter quickly scoops up three pairs of jeans on eBay and thanks her lucky stars she's not driving home with a trunk full of mom jeans. See it here. Celebrity magazines are good for finding trendy shoes and mindless gossip while at the salon. One woman is not a fan of a certain actress -- but loves, and buys, the same shoes modeled by the A-lister. Watch it here. "Left Out" is my favorite. An office staff meeting begins, and everyone whips out their tablets for note taking, except one man who goes old-school with a pad and pen. As he's being ridiculed, he buys a tablet on eBay. Not so he'll fit in, mainly because his pen leaked through his shirt, adding to his embarrassment. See it here. Venables Bell & Partners created the campaign.

"Because you're not truly alive until you're out killing the undead." So says the voiceover for the final ad promoting Thursday's launch of "Call of Duty: Black Ops Rezurrection." The Zombie Lab is again open for roving eyes to see mind-blowing experiments. Heads will roll, so scientists must have stomachs of steel to work this lab. Ever wonder how zombies react to the moon's low gravity or extreme G-force? It's a very detached experience. See the ad here, created by TBWA/Chiat/Day LA and The Ant Farm.

"Dust to Dust" is a 60-second ad promoting the launch of "Gears of War 3," which hit shelves yesterday. The final game in the GOW trilogy follows Marcus Fenix, his fellow Gear Dominic Santiago, and the other members of Delta squad, as they work their way through a war-torn battlefield. The ad is perfectly set to the song "Into Dust" by Mazzy Star and features historical markers from past GOW games, like Emergence Day and The Flooding of Jacinto. The ad ends with Marcus and Dominic, side-by-side, looking at a frenzied battlefield. "Brothers to the end" closes the ad, seen here, and created by twofifteenmccann.

Meet Tad, a salesman for the tech company VMlimited. Tad sells outdated tech solutions from his mobile office, a tricked-out van from the 1970s. Look for tight pants, a Rolodex, and felt pictures of animals. Tad conducts serious business about cloud computing and unlimited pricing plans, things his consumers want but he can't deliver. "Clouds aren't bad, but they're a fad," says Tad. The online video promotes Microsoft's cloud offerings. See the video here, created by Deutsch NY.

Samsung launched "The Way We're Wired," a 60-second spot promoting its latest Galaxy phone. "Never Settle" shows mobile users watching videos on their phones, ranging from a child taking first steps, the iconic running scene in "Rocky," to a Martin Luther King, Jr. speech and a motocross tournament. The voiceover within the spot says: "Nobody ever set their sights on second place. Who aspires to be almost remembered? There's a reason there are no giant foam fingers that say we're number three." Essentially: nobody's perfect, but we all aspire to be. See the ad here, created by Leo Burnett.

The Zippo hand warmer might be ideal for hunters, ice fishermen and skiers, but it should be required for all doctors for use pre-patient examinations. Brunner created an amusing TV spot for the product, starring a farmer and his cow. The first time the cow is milked, it lets out a moo that screams: Hey, warm up those hands, pal. The farmer goes back to his house, retrieves his hand warmer and presents the cow with warm hands the second time around. The spot, seen here, is running in U.S. and European markets.

SmartWool launched a Facebook application encouraging consumers to take a picture of themselves on a skiing or camping trip stripped down to their SmartWool gear, post it to Facebook and tag themselves. With the way Facebook changed its newsfeed setting today, everyone and their mother will see the pics. Judging by the amount of submissions, this app is as popular as Smartwool is warm. Lucky submissions will be used for a future Smartwool print ad campaign. Currently, the app is promoted via online and print ads, running in Ski, Outside, Backpacker and Mountain Sports. See the ads here and here, created by Victors & Spoils.

Random iPhone App of the week: Fans of FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," get ready for some Flipadelphia flip cup action with a free app created by HUGE. The app is based on "The Gang Reignites the Rivalry" episode, and places Paddy's Pub and the game of flip cup close by at all times. Users can play solo against a timer or use Bluetooth to play against friends in the "versus" mode. Miss your flips and expect to be berated by the show's cast. Players can share scores and challenge friends via Facebook, Twitter or email. Download it here.

Nestle's Lean Cuisine is continuing its rebranding campaign with the first of a series of online videos that celebrate phenomenal women. The first person highlighted is a young maternity nurse from Boston, who rides motorcycles, works the night shift and knits. Whatever she does, she goes all in. She also ...

I had an L.L. Bean backpack back in the day, and it lasted for an eternity. The brand launched a back-to-school campaign highlighting just how durable the company's backpacks can be, because kids will undoubtedly put their backpacks through the ringer. In the ad, kids use their backpacks as bases ...

Merrick Backcountry, dubbed an "ancestral" dog food line from Merrick Pet Care, launched an online video where the pet food was tested -- but not by dogs. No, the brand went a step further and performed a taste test using dog's ancestors, wolves, as subjects. The taste test took place ...

Every day is a holiday, and Aug. 16 is National Bratwurst Day, or "Bratsgiving." To celebrate, Johnsonville sausage launched a music video and Bratwurst song, "The Ballad of Bratsgiving." The video is two minutes of cheesy sausage lyrics, positioned like those Time Life Music ads of yesteryear, encouraging folks to ...

To celebrate National Hot Dog Day, Oscar Mayer introduced a new vehicle to its Wienermobile fleet. The Wiener Rover is an all-terrain hot dog on heavy-duty wheels that carries hot dogs to hungry fans across the country. Take that, Mars Rover. I wonder when the Wiener Rover will be available ...

Apartments.com launched a contest on its website in which the finalists -- 12 in all -- will compete to receive free rent for life. Only one winner for that. Contestants must write a review of their apartment on the company's website to enter. Supporting the campaign is a TV campaign ...

Random iPhone App of the week: David Wiesner teamed up with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to create a wordless children's book app that takes kids on a world-within-a-world fantasy adventure. "Spot" uses animation, atmospheric sounds and interactive elements to create an Inception-esque experience for four- to eight-year-olds that's never the same ...

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America launched "Not Allowed," an ad that illustrates what consumers can and cannot bring into a Kroger's store. Viewers watch customers grocery shopping. Management tells a woman with a pet that dogs aren't allowed in-store, and a kid playing with a squirt gun ...

Ziploc celebrates tough mothers everywhere with a unique obstacle course that tests the strength of both moms and new products with easy-open tabs. Moms must navigate under couches, cook meals and open snacks for hungry children. Using easy-open tabs, moms can save the day even in sticky, greasy situations. The ...